From 1 May 2026: Why Your Fixed-Term AST is Now a Rolling Tenancy

On 1 May 2026, every assured shorthold tenancy in England converts automatically to an assured periodic tenancy. Fixed terms cease to have effect — instantly, regardless of how much of the original term remains. The "shorthold" designation is gone. Tenants gain the right to leave at any time on two months' written notice, including from day one of a new tenancy. This guide is for landlords who need to understand what this means operationally for their actual letting business.

What changes on 1 May 2026

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolishes the assured shorthold tenancy as a category. Every tenancy that was an AST on 30 April 2026 becomes an assured periodic tenancy (APT) on 1 May 2026. The change happens by operation of law under section 1 of the Act. There is no requirement to re-sign anything; the conversion is automatic.

Three structural consequences follow:

• Fixed-term clauses become unenforceable. Any provision in a tenancy agreement that purports to lock the tenant in for a specific period — "for a term of 12 months from 1 March 2026", or similar — has no legal effect from 1 May 2026. Attempting to enforce a fixed term after that date can attract a civil penalty under the new section 16E of the Housing Act 1988, inserted by section 13 of the Renters' Rights Act.
• Tenants gain a unilateral right to end the tenancy on two months' notice. The notice can be given at any time, including from the first day of the tenancy. The notice must align with a rent period (usually month-end), and must be in writing.
• Rent periods are restricted to monthly or 28-day intervals. Tenancies with quarterly, six-monthly, or annual rent periods convert automatically to monthly under a statutory formula in the Act.

The conversion is automatic and immediate

An important point that is often misunderstood: there is no transitional run-off period. A fixed-term AST that was due to expire in October 2026 does not run on as a fixed term until October — it converts to a periodic tenancy at midnight on 1 May 2026, with whatever remains of the fixed-term commitment falling away.

This was a deliberate policy choice. The earlier Renters Reform Bill (which fell with the 2024 dissolution) had included a transitional run-off; the Renters' Rights Act, as enacted, does not. The position is now: every tenancy in scope of the Housing Act 1988 becomes periodic on the same day, with no exceptions for tenancies that happen to be earlier in their fixed term.

Practically, this means:

• A tenant on a 12-month fixed term that started on 1 December 2025 cannot be held to the remaining seven months of the term. From 1 May 2026, they can give two months' notice at any time.
• A tenant who signed a six-month fixed term on 1 April 2026 has the same right — the term legally ends on 1 May 2026, regardless of what the agreement says.
• A landlord who has put a tenant on a 12-month renewal that runs into late 2026 cannot insist on the renewal period being honoured.

What stays the same

The conversion is structural, not destructive. The tenancy is treated as a single continuous tenancy that has changed form, not as a new tenancy. This has several practical consequences that benefit landlords:

• The deposit stays protected. The existing deposit protection scheme registration remains valid. There is no requirement to re-protect or re-issue the prescribed information.
• Compliance documents remain valid. The existing Gas Safety Certificate, Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), and How to Rent guide do not need to be re-served.
• The rent stays the same. Conversion does not trigger an automatic rent increase. The rent continues at whatever it was on 30 April 2026, until a Section 13 notice is properly served.
• Tenant identity stays the same. The named tenants on the original agreement remain the named tenants of the periodic tenancy. There is no need to do new referencing or sign new guarantees.

What does need to be done is the service of the official Information Sheet — see the main RRA hub for the 31 May 2026 deadline.

What stops working

A standard pre-RRA tenancy agreement contains several types of clause that become unenforceable on 1 May 2026. Understanding which is essential, because attempting to rely on them can attract civil penalties.

• Fixed-term clauses. Any clause that purports to commit the tenant to a fixed period has no effect from 1 May 2026.
• Break clauses. Redundant, because tenants now have a statutory right to end the tenancy at any time on two months' notice.
• Contractual rent review clauses. RPI-linked, CPI-linked, and fixed-percentage uplift provisions are unenforceable. The only valid route to a rent increase is a Section 13 notice on the new Form 4A. See our Section 13 guide for the procedural detail.
• Advance-rent clauses for new tenancies. For tenancies signed on or after 1 May 2026, no more than one month's rent can be required at signing. Existing arrangements under pre-1 May tenancies remain valid for that specific tenancy.
• Blanket pet bans. Subject to the new statutory pet request process, landlords cannot unreasonably refuse pets. The implied term is set out in Section 11 of the Act.
• Clauses purporting to dictate tenant notice procedure. Any clause attempting to require longer notice than the two-month statutory minimum, or specific forms of service beyond what the Act provides, has no effect.

The agreement does not need to be re-signed to deal with these — the unenforceable clauses simply stop having effect on 1 May 2026. But for new tenancies signed from that date, the template needs to be RRA-compliant.

The new tenant notice power: what it means for void exposure

The structural change with the largest operational impact is the tenant's new unilateral right to end the tenancy on two months' notice at any time. Pre-RRA, a fixed-term tenant was committed for the term. Post-RRA, the tenant can leave on day one with two months' notice — meaning a property let on 1 May could be vacant by 1 July.

For most well-run lettings, this is a theoretical concern rather than a practical one. Tenants who have chosen a property and signed a tenancy generally do not leave immediately; the friction of moving alone is a strong deterrent. But the asymmetry is real:

• Landlords have lost the ability to plan around guaranteed minimum tenancy lengths.
• The "12-month void protection" that fixed-term ASTs effectively provided is gone.
• Tenancy yield calculations need to be re-done on a periodic-tenancy basis with realistic void modelling.

A worked example. Consider a property letting at £1,500 per calendar month, previously on a 12-month fixed term with a single two-week void per year between tenants. Gross annual income on the old model: £18,000. Net of one void: £17,308. On the new periodic-tenancy model, modelling a worst-case scenario where a tenant gives two months' notice early and the void runs slightly longer (six weeks instead of two), gross income drops to roughly £15,923. The realistic post-RRA range is therefore around £15,500 – £17,500 depending on void frequency. The downside risk is roughly 3-10% of annual gross.

This is meaningful but manageable. Landlords with thin margins should re-stress-test their cashflow. Landlords with healthy margins should adjust expectations and continue.

Operational consequences by landlord type

The Act applies uniformly to all assured tenancies, but the operational impact varies sharply by letting model. The relevant question is not "what does the law say" but "how does my actual letting business need to change".

Standard buy-to-let landlords (one or two properties)

For most small portfolio landlords letting on standard 12-month ASTs to working tenants, the operational change is modest. Existing tenants are unlikely to give early notice; the practical risk is asymmetric (tenant flexibility increased, landlord planning reduced) but the underlying letting model still works.

The main practical adjustments: update the tenancy template for new lets, review affordability assessment processes (because advance rent is no longer available as a credit-risk mitigation), and ensure the Information Sheet is served by 31 May 2026.

Portfolio landlords

The administrative load is heavier. Each existing tenancy needs the Information Sheet served on each named tenant by 31 May 2026; with multiple properties and joint tenancies, this can run to dozens of separate service events. Document the service of each one — proof of service is the only defence against an enforcement officer who challenges compliance later.

Beyond service, portfolio landlords need to think about cashflow modelling across the portfolio, especially if some tenancies have rent paid quarterly or annually (these convert to monthly under the statutory formula). Revisit any portfolio yield model that assumed minimum 12-month tenancies.

Student-let specialists (HMO and non-HMO)

The hardest-hit segment. The student letting model is built around the academic year: lets begin in September, fixed terms expire in June or July, properties are refurbished over the summer, new students arrive. The Renters' Rights Act breaks this cycle.

The new Ground 4A mandatory possession ground was introduced specifically to address this — but its scope is narrow, and most student landlords need to understand exactly where it does and does not apply.

Ground 4A applies only to HMOs. An HMO is defined under the Housing Act 2004 as a property where at least three people from at least two unrelated households share facilities. A two-bedroom flat let to two students who are a couple is not an HMO. A one-bedroom flat let to a student is not an HMO. A studio flat let to a student is not an HMO. None of these properties are protected by Ground 4A. They convert to standard periodic tenancies, and the only routes to recover possession are the general grounds (rent arrears, breach, anti-social behaviour, redevelopment, or sale).

Even for genuine student HMOs, Ground 4A has tight conditions:

• The property must be an HMO at the time of letting.
• All tenants must have met the "student test" (full-time enrolment in higher education) when the tenancy was signed.
• The landlord must have given the tenants a written statement at the start of the tenancy stating the intention to rely on Ground 4A.
• The tenancy must have been agreed within six months of the move-in date — the so-called "six-month rule". For tenancies signed before 1 May 2026 (existing tenancies), the six-month rule is disapplied.
• The notice period is four months, with the relevant date falling between 1 June and 30 September.
• The landlord must intend to re-let to another group of students.

Transitional provisions for existing tenancies. For tenancies that were ASTs on 30 April 2026 and become APTs on 1 May, the Ground 4A written statement must be served on the tenants by 31 May 2026 — or some sources interpret this as 28 days from commencement, around 29 May. To be safe, treat 31 May as the hard deadline. During the transitional window from 1 May 2026 to 31 July 2026, only two months' notice is required under Ground 4A, instead of the usual four months — recognising that landlords could not have given the four-month notice in advance for the 2026/27 academic cycle.

The early-letting market is materially affected. The six-month rule means tenancies for the 2027/28 academic year cannot be signed before March 2027 if the landlord wants to preserve Ground 4A. Many student lettings are currently agreed before Christmas for the following September; that practice will need to change.

For non-HMO student lets and for student landlords who fail to meet the conditions, the practical effect is that students can stay indefinitely. The landlord has no right to force them out at the end of the academic year — recovery of possession requires a fault-based ground or a sale or move-in ground (subject to the 12-month protected period from Cluster 1's analysis of Section 8).

Holiday-let and short-let operators considering the pivot

Holiday lets and short lets (Airbnb-style) are structured as licences to occupy, not assured tenancies, and fall outside the Housing Act 1988. They are not affected by the Renters' Rights Act directly. Some buy-to-let landlords are considering pivoting to short lets to escape the new framework.

Three caveats. First, mortgage terms generally restrict short-letting; consent or remortgaging may be required. Second, planning rules in many local authorities now restrict short-letting (London has a 90-day annual cap; other cities have introduced licensing regimes). Third, the income volatility of short lets is much higher than a standard letting — and the operational overhead of cleaning, marketing, and compliance is substantial. The pivot is real but needs careful financial modelling.

HMO operators (non-student)

Standard HMOs (working professionals, mixed households) are subject to the same framework as single-let properties. Ground 4A is unavailable. The main practical change is that the multi-tenant nature of HMOs increases the surface area for tenant-initiated departures — six tenants on a periodic tenancy means six independent rights to give two months' notice.

HMO operators should review their tenant turnover modelling and consider tighter referencing and shorter agreed-stays where local market allows. Pet requests in HMOs are likely to be reasonably refusable on grounds of property suitability — but each case needs assessment.

Build-to-rent and corporate landlords

Two specific exceptions matter for the corporate end of the market:

• High-rent tenancies are exempt. Tenancies with annual rent above £100,000 fall outside the assured-tenancy framework entirely and are not affected by the Renters' Rights Act.
• Company lets are outside scope. Where the tenant is a company (rather than an individual), the tenancy is not an assured tenancy and the Act does not apply.

For build-to-rent operators letting to individuals at standard rents, the framework applies in full. The administrative scale of compliance — Information Sheet service to potentially hundreds or thousands of tenants — needs careful logistics planning.

Renewal versus new tenancy: the protected period interaction

One subtle but consequential point sits at the intersection of this cluster and the Section 8 framework. The 12-month protected period for Grounds 1 and 1A (landlord move-in and sale) — covered in our Section 21 abolition guide — runs from the start of the current tenancy. If a landlord grants a new tenancy or treats a renewal as a new tenancy, the 12-month clock restarts.

This matters because, post-RRA, "renewal" is a legally meaningless concept. A periodic tenancy continues automatically; there is nothing to renew. But landlords who issue a new tenancy agreement to record changes — adding a tenant, changing the rent (which should be a Section 13 notice), or simply for tidiness — may inadvertently end the existing tenancy and start a new one. That resets the protected period.

The safer practice is to leave existing periodic tenancies alone and document any changes as variations of the existing agreement, not as a new tenancy. Where a new tenancy is genuinely needed (a different group of tenants, for example), the 12-month protected period restarts and that needs to be factored into possession planning.

Common mistakes to avoid

The patterns that create problems are operational rather than purely legal. The most consequential errors:

Telling tenants the existing fixed term still applies. Some tenant-management software automatically prompts landlords to remind tenants of their fixed-term end date. Continuing to do this from 1 May 2026 is misleading and, if combined with attempts to enforce the term, can attract civil penalties. Update standard tenant communications.

Trying to write fixed terms into new tenancies. A new tenancy signed on or after 1 May 2026 cannot include an enforceable fixed term. Templates that haven't been updated for the RRA need to be replaced before the next letting. Continuing to use a pre-RRA template doesn't legally bind the tenant — but it does signal non-compliance to anyone scrutinising the operation.

Missing the 31 May 2026 Information Sheet deadline. Failure to serve the official Information Sheet on existing tenants by 31 May 2026 can attract a civil penalty of up to £7,000 per tenancy. For a portfolio landlord, this is a material exposure.

Treating a renewal as a new tenancy without realising. If a landlord issues a new agreement to "renew" an existing tenancy, they may be ending one tenancy and starting another. That restarts the 12-month protected period for Grounds 1 and 1A — meaning possession for sale or move-in is not available until 12 months after the new start date.

Failing to plan for the student academic year. Student landlords with HMOs need to serve the Ground 4A written statement on existing tenants by 31 May 2026. Missing this forfeits Ground 4A protection for the 2026/27 academic year — meaning students could stay indefinitely without breach.

When to get proper legal advice

This guide covers the framework at a general level. It is not legal advice for any specific situation. Speak to a practising solicitor specialising in landlord and tenant law if any of the following apply:

• You have a fixed-term tenancy running into late 2026 with significant unpaid rent or anti-social behaviour issues, and you need to consider whether to act under Section 21 (before 1 May) or Section 8.
• Your tenancy includes contractual rent in advance, and you are unsure of the position post-1 May.
• You operate a student HMO and need certainty on the Ground 4A written statement requirements.
• You are considering pivoting to short lets and need advice on mortgage, planning, and licensing implications.
• You are considering granting a "renewal" of an existing tenancy and need to understand the protected-period implications.

The Law Society's Find a Solicitor service allows you to filter for landlord and tenant specialists by region.

Related guides

• Renters' Rights Act 2025: Complete landlord guide — the parent hub.
• Section 21 abolition and the new Section 8 framework — possession grounds in detail.
• Section 13 rent increase notice — Form 4A guide
• RRA-compliant tenancy agreement template
• Lodger agreements — outside the RRA framework

Sources

• Renters' Rights Act 2025 — full text on legislation.gov.uk
• Section 1 (assured tenancies to be periodic)
• Section 12 (written statement of terms)
• Schedule 1 (revised possession grounds, including Ground 4A)
• Housing Act 1988 — the underlying statute as amended.
• Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 (gov.uk)

This guide reflects the position as of 1 May 2026. Secondary legislation under the Act continues to be laid; landlords should check gov.uk for any updates after this date.